The first goal of the secret negotiations is to stop skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah from escalating into an all-out war, but longer-term solutions are also on the table, officials say.
The death toll reported in Gaza has reached roughly 20,000, according to officials in the territory, the heaviest loss on the Arab side in any war with Israel since the 1982 Lebanon invasion.
Top Israeli officials hinted at a powerful response to attacks by Hezbollah across the northern border with Lebanon, as to the south Israeli troops wage street battles against Hamas in Gaza.